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Your Guide to Braces Removal: What to Expect When You Are Finally Getting Braces Off
Are you trying to learn what to expect after getting braces off? Who could blame you? By this point, you have had those metal drapes on your teeth for a long time. Hopefully, the awaiting freedom is more than enticing enough to be worth the trouble.
What to Expect When Getting Braces Off: Medical Overview
When learning what to expect when getting braces off, we should examine the medical aspect of things first. That way, we have a good basis of understanding to work with as we go over other matters.
ow Long Does it Take to Get Braces Off?
Getting braces off does not take a ton of time. However, it does take a while for you to get there. The actual removal process should be done within a few hours. If you go in during the morning, you will be out by noon generally. Nevertheless, depending on circumstances, things could run a little longer.
Does It Hurt?
Getting braces off is not a painless process. However, it is also not excruciating either. Therefore, in general, orthodontists do not administer anesthesia during the procedure.
Depends on Your Pain Tolerance:
On the one hand, some individuals report next to no feeling during the procedure, even without sedatives. On the other hand, other people produce very different experience reports. It seems as if much of the overall experience depends on the pain tolerance of an individual.
Teeth After Braces Care
Besides what to expect, is there anything else that you need to be aware of? Of course, there is. Getting braces off is quite the change to your dental habits. Ever since you first put them on, your mouth has been occupied by a massive metal contraption. Now, your teeth are free to shine. That said, we would expect smiling will become a reward in itself.
General Dental Hygiene Tips
- Retainers Are Recommned Generally: After the braces come off, your teeth will be free to move. Eventually, they may become displaced. To avoid this, ask your dentist about a retainer. These will hold your teeth in place. You wear them while you sleep. Once you wake up, take them off and go about your day as usual.
- Brushing Your Teeth: Hopefully, you were brushing your teeth while you still had the braces on. Even so, things will be a lot easier now. Before, you had to take extra care to ensure no spaces were missed. Now, nothing will block your approach. Instead, you have a direct line of sight to every beautiful tooth lining your gums. On the other hand, there are no more excuses for any missed spots either.
- Flossing: Oh, do not get us started on flossing. As a person who had braces at one time, flossing is a massive endeavor when you have them on. Afterward, it is so much more straightforward it is almost laughable. As long as you don’t forget, it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to get every nook and cranny once the braces are gone.
What Is a Retainer?
In addition to learning what to expect regarding braces, we also recommend learning about retainers. That way, you can preserve all the time and effort you put into perfecting that smile of yours. Who would want it to go to waste so quickly? With a retainer, you can ensure it stays preserved indefinitely.
Learn more about Permanent vs. removable retainer
How Long Should You Wear a Retainer?
Generally speaking, you want to continue using your retainer for the rest of your life if possible. However, when you first begin, you may want to wear them around the clock. Immediately after removing braces, the teeth are in a particular state of mobility. For a little while, they will not want to rest in one spot for long. During this time, it would help to keep the retainer on even while the sun is up. After a few months, you can switch to wearing them while you are sleeping. This should continue endlessly. However, if you decide to go without them, the longer you can wait, the better.
What to Expect When Getting Braces Off: Personal Notes
Would you like to learn what to expect from teeth after braces? We would love to give you a few ideas. You may think that things will not be abnormal. Be that as it may, after having metal in your mouth for years, the change can be quite startling.
Just do not say we did not try to warn you.
The Top Quirks You May Notice While You Adjust to Teeth After Braces
Teeth after braces can take some adjustment. Thankfully, most people find they rather enjoy the freedom a mouth without metal offers. Now, taking care of their oral health is a much less intricate undertaking. Instead, they can practice perfect habits within a fraction of the time it did when the braces were still on. Yet, that does not mean anything of note will happen to you after you get them off. In fact, from our perspective, things seem to be quite contrary.
- Calloused Lips: Besides your teeth after braces, you will notice your gums for sure. Undoubtedly, this is one of the strangest sensations you will ever have. Upon removing the braces, the gums right behind them will have patches of rough skin. While the braces were on, they were rubbed to death. For now, those patches of dead skin will stand out like a sore thumb to your tongue. Just rub it over those spots, and you will see what we mean.
- Picturesque Smile: Our favorite part of teeth after braces is taking pictures. When they are on, it can be a little bit awkward. Nevertheless, after they are gone, things could not be more different. You will practically jump into the frame just to get another chance to see your new smile. We recommend taking a lot of selfies. Otherwise, what was all the pain and discomfort for in the first place? Take some pride in those beautifully aesthetic results.
- Stranger’s Mouth Syndrome: Your teeth after braces will not feel the same as the ones from before. In fact, at times, it can be downright alien. Do not be alarmed if it seems as if you have another person’s set of teeth in your mouth. Considering how much they moved, it is not that far from the truth. Anyhow, within a few months, this sensation should fade. By the end of the year, it will be gone entirely.
- Routine Oral Hygiene: Taking care of your teeth after braces are of the utmost importance. Lots of people let their habits degrade while the braces are on. Of course, this is fairly understandable. Dental hygiene is tedious, with a ton of metal in your head. Once the metal is gone, things are much less involved. Instead, brushing your teeth can be finished within only a few minutes. Plus, neglecting to take care of them will leave them discolored in the end. In addition to brushing your teeth, we also recommend that you floss. Perhaps, it would also be a good idea to use mouthwash as well. If you do, only use a mouthwash with an alcohol concentration that is greater than 61%. Otherwise, it will not neutralize all the germs lining the interior of your oral cavity.
- Settling or Drifting: Teeth after braces do not like to sit still very much. On the contrary, they can be almost boisterous. If you do not use a retainer, the smile you have after taking braces off will not stick around for long. Naturally, the teeth will not revert to their original arrangement either. However, most people like the way they look right after the braces are gone even better. Do not be alarmed if you feel like your teeth are shifting throughout the day. Chances are they move around a decent amount. As long as you use your retainer, they should not drift very far. If you forget to wear your retainer on a particular night, then ensure you wear it the next night. If you don’t, then your teeth may shift so much that it no longer fits. Once that happens, you are more or less out of options. Besides getting another set of braces, the best you can do is keep your teeth where they are now.
Vossdental.com Has the Answers You Need
Do you still have any questions regarding your braces? Even if you have not gotten them to put on yet, we would love to assist you. Simply give us a call. Then, one of our skilled representatives will pick up the phone. While talking to them, feel free to ask about one of our consultations. They will schedule one at no charge.